Richard Boxall Grantham

“ The great feature which called for admiration in the abattoirs of Paris was their bearing, in an economical point of view, on all the numerous classes who were affected by the supply of animal food; the graziers were benefited by extensive markets being provided for them, where their cattle were easily examined, and where the trade was enabled to go on directly between the grazier and the actual purchaser, without the system of middle men, or meat salesmen, whose assistance became indispensable in London, on account of the difficulties of Smithfield. ”

“ Elliott thought it right to mention some objections urged by the trade against the general establishment of abattoirs in this country; these were, that it would be necessary to send their servants to the abattoirs to slaughter the cattle, and they might possibly be at some distance from their shops; that they might collect there in numbers and form bad habits; and also that the butchers would not have so well-regulated a supply of meat, as at present: if the supply was now deficient, they had but to send to their slaughter-house, and kill one or two sheep, to meet the wants of their customers ”

“ They are responsible for any damage that may occur, and are also obliged to drive the cattle by certain routes, to the particular abattoir to which the cattle are consigned. The routes from each market to the different abattoirs are clearly laid down by the authorities in their code of regulations, and are generally along the roads encircling Paris, entering by the barrier nearest to the particular abattoir. Having arrived, the cattle are driven into pens, whence the owners select them, and drive them to their stalls, where they are kept till they are required to be slaughtered. ”

“ The microscope clearly demonstrated the shocking state of the animals, and it was a fact that he had never met with the blood of a calf, ox, or sheep in a slaughter-house in his own neighbourhood (Clare Market) which he could pronounce to be in a thoroughly healthy state, and it followed of necessity that the quality of the meat was deteriorated. There were a few first-rate wealthy butchers in London, who avoided this evil, by having their own fields, or turning their sheep into the Parks for a few days ”

“ The buildings containing the stalls, B, generally placed parallel to the slaughter-houses, or at their ends, are nearly similar in external appearance to those for the slaughter-houses, except that the roofs do not project so much, and the walls are carried up to the roof. The interior of them is, however, very different; they have a passage up the centre, and on one side the stall, or division for cattle, which, being about 16 feet wide, will each hold five beasts; on the opposite side of the passage are pens, which will each contain about twenty sheep and calves. ”

“ Mr. Leslie Conceived, that the passage of the cattle through London to the Islington market would still be a great nuisance; he had been told that a large number of the sheep which came to London, arrived from Kent, and the nuisance of their going through London to Islington, would be greater than that caused by their going to Smithfield. He also called attention to the fact, that the £42,652 paid over to the city of Paris was not clear profit, but was a return of about 61⁄4 per cent. on the original cost of the abattoirs. ”

“ At the former is established a branch of the Municipal Bank, at which the butchers have a credit according to a fixed regulation. Every butcher must be licensed to carry on his trade, and must give security, by depositing three thousand francs (£120) in the Municipal Bank, up to which amount he can draw upon the Bank of Poissy, for payment to the sellers of the cattle which he purchases, and in some cases, according to his respectability and credit, he is permitted to exceed this amount, by paying interest, and repaying the loan and the original deposit within a limited time. ”

“ By the present system, the drover was actually paid for depreciating the value of the animals, by his treatment of them, and it was deemed preferable to pay for the risk of an accident in the crowded streets, than to send the beasts for sale to a convenient spot in the suburbs. ”

“ The clot is subjected to a chemical process, by which it becomes nearly black, and is then put into casks and sold as manure.The contents of the paunches, which measure about two gallons each, are collected in the 'voiries,' or manure yards, and are taken away every day for manure, with the dung from the stables. The hearts, livers, and heads are taken by the butchers, and sold at their shops. The fat from the insides of the animals is collected and taken to the tallow-melting house, which is also on the premises. ”

“ The salesmen were the parties who really interfered most, to prevent this desirable improvement for the farmers and the public, and they were actuated solely by the principle of self-preservation, because from the moment that the butchers could easily come into actual contact with the farmers, and purchase directly from them, the occupation of the salesman would be gone. ”

“ The entire space is surrounded by a high wall, so that nothing of what is passing within can be seen from the exterior, and the entrances are closed by iron gates, the avenues, passages, and yards being all paved, and provided with proper water-channels and gratings, so as effectually to take off all rain-water drainage. ”

“ The establishment of abattoirs, would also be of use, in ascertaining the consumption of meat in London, which at present there were no means of ascertaining. In Paris every butcher who killed meat paid a duty per pound on the meat leaving the abattoir ”

“ At the same time they afford the means of controlling a class of men, who, from the very nature of their occupations, have become strangers to all the finer feelings. The abattoirs are prominent parts of this system, and it is conceived, that under a modified form of administration, they may be rendered perfectly applicable to this country. ”

“ From the markets of Poissy and Sceaux, the cattle and sheep are driven to the abattoirs, by drovers who are under the control and license of the municipality, but who can only take a certain number, at one time, under their charge. ”

“ Apart from this, there are many excellent regulations, which, whilst they prevent the unpleasant operations of that trade from becoming a nuisance, or being prejudicial to the health of the public, facilitate the computation of the fluctuations in the prices of food, enabling the masses to be provided for with certainty, and furnishing data for most interesting and instructive returns for the statist. ”

“ These vested interests should be met by some strong measure of the authorities, and if the public expected to be benefited, they must adopt strong measures, to impress upon the Legislature, the necessity for the consideration of these crying evils, and of the adoption of some mode of remedying them. ”

“ The returns of the annual expenditure and income of these establishments, prove that, as well as being highly important in the internal economy of the metropolis of France, they are profitable in a commercial point of view. ”